Situational interview questions usually include areas like interpersonal skills, communication skills and decision making skills. Often, an example from previous experiences will be asked for, so be ready with some examples at hand. Your answers should also illustrate your ability to handle such situations with professionalism.

Here are four common situational interview questions to look out for.

1. How would you handle a situation where your team member is not performing up to your standards?

How professional and at the same time empathetic are you? Give an example that shows that you are able to get fellow worker to share their problems and difficulties in completing a work task, give some advice, then encourage them and gather their commitment to the job. Focus on the situation instead of the person.

2. What are the steps you will take to make an important decision on the job?

Use an example where a good decision was made to demonstrate how good your decision making skills are from assessing the situation (how it will benefit the company, relevance to the company's values and beliefs) to possible consequences of the decision.

3. What will you do if you believed strongly in your suggestion but the rest of the team does not?

Explain how you will continue to give concrete reasons for pushing your suggestion and eventually, if it doesn't go through, you will let it go and move on but just in case, you will prepare for any hiccups due to the majority's decision anyway. Here, avoid saying how your decision always ends up right in the end.

4. What will you do if you realise that you are unable to meet the deadline to hand in an up-to-standard report to your superior?

This is likely a trap question. Firstly, state that you usually have good time management skills and if the deadline is impossible, you will let your boss know in advance and put in extra hours if necessary. And so, such a problem rarely suffices. However, it happens, you will come clean with your boss and explain the situation. Lastly, end off by saying you will evaluate the experience and make sure similar mistakes that caused the delay will not happen again.